I haven't had much chance to play with my new quilting goodies. I came home to find my oldest daughter in sever back pain. The Dr. said it was from repetitive lifting (taking care of James) and she has a herniated disk, arthritis in one of the vertebrae, and a bulging disk. So...Guess who swooped in to help with James? Grandmama to the rescue. Ladies...I am so tired I can hardly wiggle. She had a part time Nanny but she is getting married. Hoping to find someone to fill her place but affordable part time nannies are hard to find...

I am also in the middle of MAJOR House Remodel. Pictures forthcoming!

Are you sewing for the LEAFS ME HAPPY BLOG HOP???

I AM...SORTA, KINDA, IN BETWEEN CONTRACTORS REPLACING WINDOWS, HAMMERS POUNDING, WALLS BEING TAKEN DOWN, AND PLAYING NURSEMAID PLUS BABYSITTING SIDEKICK SCOTT

CALGON...TAKE ME AWAY!!!!!! (Remember that jingle from years past?)

Still waiting on #1 husband's Biopsy results. Will let you know as soon as we know)

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

This is my Daughter, Mary Ellen and I at a good friend's wedding last Saturday evening! Weddings sure are different than they used to be....so many unique venues, ceremonies, and receptions. The Photo Booth was a real hit Sat night! A huge box of props gave each guest a way to personalize photographic message. Each guest received a personal copy of the pictures and one copy was placed in a memory book for the Bride and Groom. As you can tell, we were very "serious" with our well wishes. lol!!!

Sunday, September 16, 2012

I won't bore you with the details because I know why you're here! The fact that this is the first time I've ever used this *camera bought TODAY in last chance haste at Wally World* hopefully gives me some empathy for the pitiful poor pictures. I think it's time I get some photography lessons from my daughter the Professional!

My Wonky Dot House is going to be the Center of my WONKY HOUSE Quilt.

MY WONKY DOT HOUSE will be the perfect setting for all the wonky house blocks I received from quilters all over the world! 12 TOTAL

Thursday, September 13, 2012

This precious little housecoat was made for me at age 4 in 1957 by my Great Grandmother, "Big Grandma" as I called her. She took left over quilting scraps and pieced the fabric together to sew this wrap-around house-coat for me. Every grandchild and great grandchild got a gift from Big Grandma each Christmas. I usually got a little apron and one for my doll. But this particular Christmas, I was the proud recipient of the house-coat shown in the picture. All of Big Grandma's gifts came wrapped in white tissue paper tied with red or green curling ribbon. I always got to open my gift from Big Grandma on Christmas Eve!

Over the years, my Coat of Many Colors (a tribute to the iconic song by the same name written and sung by Dolly Parton) was stuffed into a storage box and forgotten. 27 years ago while unpacking some boxes, my Son came running to tell me he and his sister had found a "Hippy Coat" !!! I laughed and cried all at the same time. For now, I was a little older and appreciated the love and effort put into each stitch. The idea that my children thought the coat looked like a "hippy coat" was hilarious. I was thrilled to have found my coat and it soon took a place of honor on a wall in my new kitchen.

The coat has been a part of my kitchen decor for over 27 years until this year I decided to enter it in the heirloom sewing division of The Lincoln County Fair! I don't have a picture of my White Ribbon as of yet but I plan to get one on Sunday, last day of the Fair, when I reclaim my treasured, *Coat of Many Colors*.

My CSI/NCIS crime fighting skills came in handy when I went for the latex gloves before touching anything. After-all I didn't want to disturb the crime scene with my own fingerprints! It didn't matter in the long run because evidently this robbery wasn't the thieves' "first rodeo" if you know what I mean. They wore Gloves!!... Left some industrial glue type substance from construction gloves. They had obviously moved several large items earlier that morning on their little crime spree.

#1 husband and I plus Sidekick Scott were approx. 50 yds. back from the house, close to the barn, drinking some ice water. PaPaw cut brush while Scott and I watched a little mama red bird search for her nest in the cut limbs....20-30 minutes at most...walked back to the house...Papaw goes upstairs to take a shower...I go in to the den to turn on Cartoons for Scott...NO TV!!!!!!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

I'm still taking a short break till next week but couldn't miss this opportunity to share the first

WORLD CEREBRAL PALSY DAY

I will be back Monday Sept. 10th.

I wanted to share my daughter's TOP 10things I would like for others to know about parenting a child with CP

1. James is a Blessing not a Burden- James came into this world exactly how God knew he would, and he is perfectly and wonderful made. He may have more physical obstacles than most of us but his life is full of joy and happiness. And he gives US nothing but Joy and Happine

ss.

2. James IS a "normal" kid ( whatever that word means anyway)- James is a typical 4 year old in every way. He plays and laughs and gets into mischief. We have to parent him just like any other child. We deal with the same issues that other parents have to deal with when raising a child.

3. I am NOT a Saint- God knew from the time He formed me that James would be my son. He prepared me for this life even when I didn't know what He was preparing me for. I love my son no more or less because he has a physical challenge than you love your fully able bodied child.

4. We have HIGH expectations for James- The dreams I have for James didn't die when we got his diagnosis. We are learning how to teach him new ways to achieve his dreams, but we fully expect our son to be a fully functioning contributor to society. He will go to college, get married, have children and be the man God has planned for him.

5.The word "retard" should be taken out of everyone's vocabulary!- It hurts and even said in jest it is a word that we should all stop using because it isn't funny.

6. It is Ok to ask me questions- I LOVE talking about my son ( what mother doesn't) I don't mind when people are sincerely trying to learn about my son or others like him.

7. Not all CP is the same- Cerebral Palsy is an umbrella term that is used to describe a VERY large range of motor function disabilities. James's CP is unique to him and he progresses and functions uniquely.

8. Parents of kids with CP need patience- We dont have this all figured out and we are learning as we go. Most of us were thrown into this life in a very traumatic and sudden way. We are learning how to navigate not only our own emotions and fear about the future; but we are also teaching our children how to navigate this world that we know nothing about as well. We are literally flying by the seat of our pants here and we need friends that will stand with us and not judge us.

9. Sometimes it is hard to see "YOUR" (someone else's) child's physical success- We treasure friendships and especially those that stick by us through the hard times. But sometimes it is just plain hard to watch your child physically move ahead of ours. And sometimes we just need to be sad about that. It is nothing that anyone needs to, or can, fix and it has nothing to do with our friendship. It is a feeling of loss that sometimes creeps in on special needs parents and we have to work through it.

10. I don't wish my son "fixed"- I know that can sound strange to some that don't live this life. And yes, it is true that this is not the path I would have chosen for James, but it is the path that God chose for him and there is a reason for it. James is not broken and therefore doesn't not need to be "fixed". We are here to help him learn to use his body the best he can and to build strength and skills just like any child.Please share this with family and friends who may be dealing with a special needs child.Blessings

P.S. No news about #1 husband....had to reschedule 2nd biopsy but Dr. is NOT worried.See ya Monday!!Please come visit Monday! I have LOTS of NEWS from my 2 week Break! Nothing is ever simple here on the farm and true to form, it has been quite a "challenge" these past 2 weeks. Good thing I took a Break.

COFFEE MADNESS

Hand Stitching Never Goes Out Of Style! Celebrating All Things Needle and Thread

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GRANDMAMA'S STORIES

May I Introduce Myself

I'm a retired educator of 30+ yrs., mother to 1 son and 2 daughters, "Grandmama" to 5 precious Grandpeeps, married 40 yrs.to my college sweetheart,and savoring every minute of my new stage in life as an empty nester and Retired Grandmother in Chief. I enjoy quilting, stitching, reading, DIY projects, front porch sitting, auctions, thrift stores, morning coffee, Diet Pepsi, tea cups, tea pots, pretty dishes, vintage kitchen linens, vintage sewing items, and family dinners with my party of 12. #1 husband is recently retired so we plan to spend lots of good times camping, yard sale-ing, going to auctions, and simply enjoying each other's company. Thank you Lord for saving me, blessing me, and making me a home in Heaven with you.
Jeremiah 29:11